Sometimes we all need to warm up after a long day in a freezing office or outside in the chilly air. One part of an HVAC system that allows us to warm up is a furnace. The furnace acts as a main heating unit that requires many different parts to function properly. These parts include but are not limited to the pilot light, filter, heat exchanger, and burners. Each part of the furnace requires proper maintenance, so a furnace can do its job, so today, we will look at how to clean furnace burners.

What Are Furnace Burners?

Before we officially dive into how to clean furnace burners, we need to understand what furnace burners are and their purpose. The furnace burners in a gas furnace help air mix with the gas to produce heat in our home.

What We Need To Clean Furnace Burners

When the furnace burners are dirty, the air in our home will not be able to warm up as easily which can lead to high energy bills. For these reasons, it is essential that we stay on top of keeping our furnace burners clean. In order to know how to clean furnace burners successfully, we need to know what tools will help us get the job done. To clean furnace burners we need a socket wrench, a screwdriver, fine steel wool, a brass wire brush, and an air compressor.

How To Clean Furnace Burners

Now that we have the tools to clean furnace burners, we can finally get into the step-by-step process of how to clean furnace burners. Make sure to take the necessary safety precautions when following these steps and we recommend completing this task with another person. Even if we are hiring a professional to clean the furnace burners, knowing how it works will help us better understand furnace upkeep in the future.

1. Turn Off The Furnace

For our safety, we need to turn off the furnace. Make sure the furnace is completely shut off, as attempting to perform maintenance on it while it’s on can lead to serious injury.

2. Remove The Furnace Door Or Retaining Plate

Depending on the furnace, the cover will either come in the form of a door or a retaining plate. The manner in which the cover is attached will determine whether a screwdriver or socket wrench will be used to remove it. Once removed, we can finally start working with the furnace burners.

3. Find And Remove The Furnace Burners

To find the furnace burners, consult your user manual so you know exactly where they are located. Most furnace burners have a cylinder shape. Be very careful when removing the furnace burners in order to avoid damaging the rest of the furnace and injuring oneself.

4. Clean The Furnace Burners

The wire brush will come in handy for the actual cleaning of the furnace burners. Experts recommend brushing debris off the ends and then using the air compressor to dislodge and eliminate any internal debris and carbon deposits. Clean again to make sure all carbon deposits and debris are thoroughly removed.

5. Clean The Flame Sensor

Before putting the furnace burners back into their original place, we need to take a moment to clean the flame sensor. This step is where the fine steel wool is used to clean up the flame sensor until it’s nice and shiny. The flame sensor can’t detect flame if it’s dirty, so we need to remember to clean it up before calling it a day.

6. Put The Furnace Burners And Cover Back Into Place

Now that the furnace burners and flame sensor are nice and clean, it’s time to put the furnace burners back in their place. Once again, consult the user manual to be absolutely careful about putting them back where they belong. The screwdriver or socket wrench will be needed one last time to close up the furnace.

7. Test The Furnace

To ensure that the furnace burners were successfully cleaned, test out the furnace by conducting a blue flame test. This test involves turning the furnace back on, turning up the thermostat, and paying attention to the color of the flame. If it’s a blue flame, everything is in the clear. If the flame shows any yellow or orange, then it’s time to call a professional.

Our Technicians Know How To Clean Furnace Burners!

Now that we know how to clean furnace burners, we’ll be able to save time and money on keeping our HVAC system up and running. However, if we aren’t entirely confident in our ability to clean the furnace burners successfully, or the blue flame test shows signs of other problems, we can always reach out to a technician. Contact us at AC Repair Deer Park today!